Moonshot: European Space Agency eyes lunar village en route Mars
PULL QUOTE: In between, we believe that there is an opportunity to create a permanent … sustainable presence on the surface of the moon Adelaide — Setting up a permanent village on the moon is the first step towards exploring Mars, the European Space Agency said Thursday as plans to reach and colonise the Red Planet gathered pace. At an annual gathering of 4,000 global space experts in Adelaide, the ESA said the moon was the "right place to be" as humans expand economic activities beyond low-Earth orbit, even while Mars remained the "ultimate destination". "We have been living in low-Earth orbit for the last 17 years on board a space station and we are on our journey to Mars for the first human mission," ESA’s Piero Messina said at the congress. "In between, we believe that there is an opportunity to create a permanent … sustainable presence on the surface of the moon." Reaching and colonising Mars has been viewed by private and public interests as the next stage in exploring the fi...
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